Random Maps

Random Maps are the maps you play versus enemies, attempting to lay your claim in the New World by establishing a colony. Here are the maps and our short analysis. Look to see if there is a map guide for the particular map as well:


Amazonia Mini-Map (24K)

Amazonia

This map is defense and naval oriented because of a single geographical feature: the giant Amazon river, separating teams and players. Better yet, the Trade Posts and Natives are placed randomly, with the posts being split equally between players, or one side getting the Trade Post and the other Native tribes. Early naval dominance is almost required if you plan on getting far while playing this map.

The river provides a bounty of fish, making military control over the river important, and each side of the river has a plentiful wood supply. Creating a navy will quickly drain the silver mines on each side of the river, so focusing on saving wood for Plantations can only help.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Capybara (400 Food), Turkey (400 Food), Tapir (500 Food)

Tribes: Carib, inca, Zapotec


Andes Mini-Map (23K)

Andes

On the Western coast of South America, you and your ally find yourselves reasonably close on the southwest side of the map. A Trade Route divides the two of you with four Incan Trading Posts occupying the Northeast side of the map. Treasures are not abundant on this map, so get some while you can. Your opponent will start relatively close to you so prepare for an early attack.

Resources are plentiful. On each side their are numerous amounts of clusters of trees. Usually, there is 4 to 5 mines on each side of the trade route. Get as many llamas as you can because there are usually not too many. Also, both players start off with a large amount of Guanaco near their Town Center, with a few other herds around them. However, where the Native American Trade Posts are, there are no resources and a few mesas dividing the posts.

Herdables: Llama (50/400 Food)

Herds: Guanaco (400 Food)

Tribes: Inca


Araucania Mini-map (19K)

Araucania

Like Pampas, Araucania does not use the full circular map. Instead, it is shaped like a rectangle. With a river along the shore to the west, the amount of land is limited. With a long Trade Route consisting of 6 Trading Posts, a Trade Monopoly victory will be tough to complete and will need a large amount of map control. But, the Trading Posts can be used to your advantage for resources or XP for quick shipments.

Even though it seems smaller, the resources on this map are plentiful. Both fish and whales are available in the sea. On land, a herd of Guanaco lie near your Town Center with various herds of Guanaco or Deer among the land. Also, Berry Bushes are plentiful, so if you run out of hunts, you will always have a little extra food if you find it. Trees and treasures are always abundant as well as are copper mines. And, if you want some added military boost, grab a Mapuche or Incan settlment. This resource filled map could lead to some long games with many units from both sides.

Herdables: Llama (50/400 Food)

Herds: Guanaco (400 Food), Deer (400 Food)

Tribes: Inca, Mapuche


Bayou Mini-Map (24K)

Bayou

You will be easily fooled when looking at this map; a murky swamp, perhaps making it necessary to build a navy? The catch here is that soldiers can actually walk through the swamp, the waters being too shallow to hold a navy, but you cannot build on the murky area. This will make defense and expansion difficult, especially because of the cramped patches of land throughout the map. This map lacks a Trade Route, but instead houses several Native tribes in the center of the map.

There’s plentiful resources on the map, from silver mines to herds of animals. The only real problem is that they’re scattered throughout the map on patches of land. There are few mines and herds near the players to begin with, making it surprisingly simple to raid an enemy.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Deer (400 Food), Turkey (400 Food)

Tribes: Cherokee, Seminole


Borneo Mini-Map (24K)

Borneo

On Borneo players start on the top and bottom of a circular island filled with trees and two trade routes. Secondary hunts can be far from your initial town center, and mines can feel a mile away. Each player will find themselves not too far out of their opponent’s reach from the sea.

The Naval situation is much similar to Hispaniola, only the whales and fish are evenly dispersed about the water. A good strategy to surprise your opponent is to ship in warships and siege him from the sea. Conversely, you can use the ships to save your own villagers should your town center fall. Being unique to TAD maps, water treasures lie atop the waves awaiting rescue, should you have the powerful warships necessary to grab them.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Serow (400 Food), Wild Elephant (1000 Food)

Tribes: Sufi

Map Guide


California Mini-map (27K)

California

With the Western part only water, you and your opponent are divided by a Trade Route but are resonably close. There are usually 4 Trading Posts for the taking and two Native Villages of Klamath and/or Nootka. You may find yourself having to trek around cliffs near the shore, but the western is much more open and turns into a desert.

Only California has you start off with multiple sheep around your Town Center, so making a Livestock Pen early or gathering them may help you with any strategy. Wood is abundant, but you may have to stray away from your Town Center for hunts. If you can gain control of the water and get at least some map control, you can be in much better shape than your opponent.

Herdables: Sheep (50/300 Food)

Herds: Elk (500 Food), Deer (400 Food)

Tribes: Klamath, Nootka

Map Guide: California


Caribbean Mini-Map (25K)

Caribbean

Being the only true naval map, there are three islands: your team, the opposing team, and a Trade Route island; this, of course, increases depending on the amount of players. Each player starts with a Carib settlement near their base, with an additional settlement on the Trade Route island. As with Amazonia, controlling the ocean is top priority. Defend your island from invasion and booming will assist you in defeating your opponent, mostly because of the difficulty of a full-fledged rush.

Wood is plentiful on your island, but the other two resources are scarce. The herds of animals are small, and there are very few mines. Whaling and fishing is the best early alternative, with Mills and Plantations eventually replacing them. If you can cut your opponent off of the ocean, you will be effectively starving them.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Deer (400 Food)

Tribes: Carib


Carolina Mini-Map (26K)

Carolina

Unique because of the abundant starting resources, Carolina will start the players close to the ocean, with the central Trade Route placing players on the eastern side of the map. This separates them from a few Native tribes and resources on the western side.

Large forests of wood are somewhat distant from your starting position, and you’ll find very little resources on the eastern portion of the map. On the western side, you’ll find an abundance of resources. Taking control of the ocean can give you fishing and whaling opportunities.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Deer (400 Food)

Tribes: Cherokee, Seminole


Ceylon Mini-Map (26K)

Ceylon

Ceylon is not in the standard rotation of maps, heck, most players have not even played this map before. Each player begins on their own island which consists of scarce resources. The main object of the map is to relocate to the main larger island in the center, where one can take advantage of the resources that it provides.

Much like Caribbean, naval warfare is key. Control the sea and you will control your opponent’s options for expansion. Aztec and Portugese are particularly effective on this map, as the Aztec’s navy can be used to halt expansion, and the Portuguese’s extra starting Town Center wagon can be transported to begin on the mainland.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Deer (400 Food)

Tribes: Zen, Bhakti


Deccan Mini-Map (26K)

Deccan

Deccan is a resource rich map that allows most civilizations to start with several extra food crates, significantly increasing the options available.Using the extra crates, one could perform an ultra-fast rush; one could also do a powerful Fast Fortress by taking advantage of the dual trade routes on the side of the map.

Deccan is shaped like an inverted doughnut, with a heightened middle plateau containing extra huntables, trees, and heavily guarded but powerful treasures. It is not uncommon to find an opponent’s foreword base among the trees. Deccan is also a common Treaty map.

Herdables: Water Buffalo

Herds: Deer (400 Food)

Tribes: Sufi, Bhakti


Great Lakes Mini-Map (28K)

Great Lakes

Varying between a warm setting with a central lake and a frigid tundra with the central lake froze over, you’ll find the change creates different situations. When the central lake is froze over, it will be a quick march to reach the heart of a player’s empire; however, when there’s a lake, naval control of this lake gives a player dominance over most of the map and it depends much less on control of the land. The Trade Route on this map is huge, stretching in a circle over the entire map.

You’ll find plentiful food and forests, but there are few mines near your location. If you play on a warm setting, use the central lake for fishing; when the lake’s frozen over, expect to find herds of animals wandering nearby.

Herdables: Sheep (50/300 Food)

Herds: Deer (400 Food), Moose (500 Food)

Tribes: Cheyenne, Cree, Huron


Great Plains Mini-Map (28K)

Great Plains

Every player and even the Trade Route is shoved off to the southeastern side of the map, creating large plains to the northwest with several Native settlements and much expansion room. Because of the map being open, there are pretty much no choke points. Pay attention to the Natives; they’re your best friends on this map.

The landscape of the plains allows many herds of animals to wander the map, but only hosts scattered patches of wood, hardly sufficient for any growing empire. There are a few mines to gather from, but they run out quickly; the Natives only cost food and wood, so take this to your advantage. Because of the resources scattering the map, expect your opponent to send villagers out into the wilderness to find more coin or wood.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Deer (400 Food), Buffalo (500 Food)

Tribes: Cheyenne, Comanche

Map Guide: Great Plains


Himalayas Mini-Map (28K)

Himalayas

Himalayas lies in the cold mountainous region of Tibet. Food can be scarce and far from your initial starting location. Players need to be aggressive to avoid farming or using their berries early. There lies a central trade route that journeys across the middle of the map, which normally has 3-5 trading posts depending on the number of players.

Trees and wood are fairly common throughout the map, but in small numbers. Lying on each side are native trading posts consisting of the Bhakti and Udasi, one near each player in 1v1 games. Utilize the natives for a faster punch against Skirmishers (Tiger Claws from bhakti) and Musketeers (Hoop throwers from Udasi)

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Deer (400 Food)

Tribes: Udasi, Bhakti


Himalayas Mini-Map (28K)

Himalayas – Upper

The upper Himalayas is a far more barren version of the regular Himalayas map. The trade route commonly seen in ‘lower’ Himalayas is gone, while the native trading posts lie in the same location as before. Upper Himalayas is not in the standard rotation of maps, so it is not often you will encounter this map lest it is in a custom game. The resources are fairly distributed much like Himalayas.

Contrary to its sister map, Upper Himalayas contains many choke points made up from the rocky terrain that can lead you or your enemy into traps and pathing issues, so be sure to take advantage of it before your enemy does so on you.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Deer (400 Food)

Tribes: Udasi, Bhakti


New England Mini-Map (25K)

New England

New England has a large coast taking up the southeast side of the map, with two treasure-filled islands in the center of the ocean. The dense trees and lakes near each colony creates choke points making defense easier. Invasions using the ocean are difficult because of the rocky cliffs and scarce shore openings, making land invasions more useful to players. Near the colonies lie a Native settlement for each, and a central Trade Route cutting the map in half. Defend the Trade Route and you’ll be defending your colony in the process, but make sure to defend the coast as well.

You’ll find herds of deer near your starting location, but mines are scarce, making establishing a navy very expensive. Wood is plentiful and large forests can be found near your starting location. Use the coast to fish, but beware of enemy ships.

Herdables: Sheep (50/300 Food)

Herds: Deer (400 Food)

Tribes: Cherokee, Huron


Northwest Territory Mini-map (22K)

Northwest Territory

A very unique map; Northwest Territory starts off with rain falling. The land is split up four different ways. Each player has their own “section” with two swampy areas to cross the river, which makes defense easier. Both players have a Trade Route with two Trading Posts and one Native American Ally (Klamath or Nootka). There is a small section to the east that holds a single Native American Settlement and connects the two other sections. Off to the west, across the river lays a resource filled strip of land that can only be reached by ship.

Resources are not too scarce, but not overly abundant on this map. You will find yourself with about 3 herds of huntables in your section of the map. Moose, deer, and elk will all be available. You may have to go a couple screens away for wood, so be careful of raids. If you guard the two entry points, you may be okay as long as the opponent does not decide to land troops via ships. And try to get to the Western strip before the opponent for some extra natural resoures to gather.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Deer (400 Food), Elk (500 Food), Moose (400 Food)

Tribes: Klamath, Nootka

Map Guide: Northwest Territory


Orinoco Mini-map (19K)

Orinoco

A very defensive map, Orinoco is much like Amazonia in that each player has one half of the map with a river along the middle. However, there is a stretch of swamp on eaither the north or southern side of the river that lets land troops cross. Also, you can not build ships along the river because it has cliff edges. There is no Trade Route.

Orinoco has pretty standard resouces, several groups of trees, herds, and mines occupy each side. The difference with Orinoco is that there are 4 different possible Native Settlements. Tupi, Zapotec, Carib, and Maya can all appear on the map and assist you to victory.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Tapir (500 Food), Capybara (400 Food)

Tribes: Carib, Maya, Tupi, Zapotec


Painted Desert Mini-map (19K)

Painted Desert

Open like Great Plains, Painted Desert has a unique terrain that is a mix of brown and red. It takes a minute to get used to but can be a nice change of scenery. 4 Native Settlements span across the middle of the map. Either Navajo or Apache occupy the middle two while the one that isn’t in those slots takes up the outer two posts. Mesas and cliffs are abundant so some natural barriers can be used to your advantage when used correctly.

Wood is a scarce resource on the map. There are a few big groups of trees around the edge, but only some very small clusters in the middle and around your town center. Both Bison and deer can be herded and a few cows wander around for an extra food boost. Be aggresive and gain map control, because without it you will find yourself with running out of resources quickly.

Herdables: Cows (50/500 Food)

Herds: Bison (500 Food), Deer (400 Food)

Tribes: Apache, Navajo


Pampas Mini-Map (26K)

Pampas

You’ll notice that the sides of the map are straight, in contrast to most maps, which are round. There is a single Trade Route running near each player’s base, with a pair of lakes creating choke points to the north and south, the largest being in the center of the map. Fighting for the center will give you the upper hand, but not paying attention to the large choke point on the bottom of a lake could cause chaos in your colony quickly.

Pay attention to the herdable Llamas and Rhea herds, which provide your main source of food. Trees are in scattered but plentiful patches, and a few mines can be found close to your location.

Herdables: Llamas (50/400 Food)

Herds: Rhea (400 Food)

Tribes: Inca, Tupi


Patagonia Mini-Map (26K)

Patagonia

Focus on the central ocean in this map, since it effectively creates two choke points on the eastern and western sides of the map, varying depending on the amount of players. The ocean to the east takes up a lot of land, making the eastern choke point even tighter. You’ll find cliffs scattered throughout the map and Trade Routes behind each player’s base. This map has no Natives, leaving players to duke it out with units from the homeland. (Note: The giant lake is not present during free-for-alls.)

You will find plenty of resources around the map, but a focus point is the ocean and center lake; the lake provides food through fish and the ocean provides food/gold from whales and fish.

Herdables: Sheep (50/300 Food)

Herds: Deer (400 Food), Rhea (400 Food)

Tribes: (none)


Rockies Mini-Map (28K)

Rockies

The Rockies are, as described by their name, rocky. Because of the cliffs acting as walls, defending players, there are normally only around four entrances that a player must protect. Taking the center of the map will provide you with an excellent attack point with plenty of resources, but letting the enemy take it will put you in a difficult position. The map has two Trade Routes going into the base of each team, and each have an easy-to-defend Native settlement.

The resources near your base run out quickly, forcing you to expand in order to find more food, wood, and coin. It will eventually bring you into the center of the map, the best place for more resources; securing it will give you a favorable advantage over your opponent.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Pronghorn (400 Food), Bighorn Sheep (400 Food)

Tribes: Cheyenne, Comanche


Saguenay Mini-Map (27K)

Saguenay

Saguenay’s an economist heaven, with each player starting out with a random economic building; will it be a Livestock Pen, Mill, Market? Of course, each player will have the same building no matter what it is. The Trade Route location varies; it could be verticle in the center of the map, or stretching horizontally, ending near each player’s colony. Natives will be close to both teams.

Saguenay’s rich in resources, with plenty of food, mines, and forests. The fishing opportunities given by the central lake should not be ignored.

Herdables: Sheep (50/300 Food)

Herds: Deer (400 Food), Elk (500 Food), Moose (500 Food)

Tribes: Cree, Huron

Map Guide: Saguenay


Sonora Mini-Map (28K)

Sonora

A desert with scattered cliffs and canyons that pose as interesting obstacles, allowing players to use them for defense. The cliffs around your colony form natural walls, but have plenty of openings that should be defended in some way. A turtler will find themselves starved from outside resources if they don’t expand.

Players start out far from animal herds, but with forage bushes close by. Finding the herds as quick as possible would be a wise choice since forage bushes gather slowly compared to hunting. Mines and wood are both plentiful, but only outside of your starting colony. A giant opening in the center of the map that’s surrounded by cliffs has many, many animals for hunting, but is more vulnerable to raids than other locations.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Pronghorn (400 Food), Bison (500 Food)

Tribes: Apache, Maya, Navajo

Sonora Native Rush


Texas Mini-Map (29K)

Texas

Texas gets each player started off with both an early defense and offense, giving you two Outposta and Barracks. With an effective boom set up for you, you can get started without having to worry about spending wood on building your own. Lakes, trees, and cliffs all create choke points dividing the map, with Native settlements alternating between the center of the map, and on each side of the map near the colonies. Two Trade Routes are on each side, dividing the map into four divisions.
One of your goals should be gathering cows; do not underestimate them because they’re herdables. Since they’re able to fatten up to 500 food, you can get 2000 food with only 4 cows, at a speedy gather rate! Silver mines are somewhat plentiful, but they’re far from your colony, forcing you to leave the safety of your Outposts. The trees are patchy, with actual forests being far from your start base. Herds of animals can be found close by, with the mighty buffalo providing 500 food.

Herdables: Cows (50/500 Food)

Herds: Pronghorn (400 Food), Bison (500 Food)

Tribes: Apache, Comanche


Unknown Mini-Map (107K)

Unknown

With a Trade Route always dividing the map in two, the rest of the map is completely randomized. Whether it will be snow, grass, or water, it is up to exploring to find out the surroundings. Choosing the proper deck can only be accomplished by knowing the surround terrain and tribes. Huntables can be plentiful or scarce, tribes may be from the Caribbean or Canada. No game is the same.

Expect the unexpected with the Unknown.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: All (Food)

Tribes: All


Yucatan Mini-Map (27K)

Yucatan

To the east and west of the map is two ocean coasts, with each player starting alternatively on the right or left. Control of your own ocean is easy to establish, but control of your enemy’s ocean would put you in a favorable position, enabling you to attack at the heart of your opponent’s colony. You’ll find a Native settlement nearby, and the Trade Route runs through the center of the map.

All resources are plentiful on this map, but an addition of naval combat may deplete your mines quickly. Use the ocean to fish and go whaling.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Capybara (400 Food), Tapir (500 Food)

Tribes: Maya, Zapotec


Yukon Mini-Map (28K)

Yukon

The Trade Route in the Yukon cuts the map in half, with an eastern side that you and your opponent share, and a west side with a river running down the middle. Two shallows connect the west side of the map to the left, which are easily perfect attack points — expecting attacks from the front is common, while attacks from the side might catch an opponent off guard. Two Native settlements lay on the west side, which could be beneficial to grab if you’re looking for cheap armies to raid with. Trees around each base create valuable choke points. Herds in the center of the map also gives teams an excellent opportunity to raid enemy gathering efforts.

The west side of the map holds all kinds of treasures, so don’t miss out on looting it. The addition of Gold mines on this map, which alone hold 5000 coin, make gold gathering efforts easier, but they’re found far away from your starting colony. A herd is usually close by, but eventually you’ll have to move to the center of the map to continue hunting, as will your opponents. Forests can be found scattered throughout the map.

Herdables: (none)

Herds: Caribou (400 Food), Musk Ox (500 Food)

Tribes: Cree, Nootka

Map Guide: Yukon